Chocolate Dash!
by TenyumeKasumi
Summary: The Vongola Valentine's Day Event is now underway! As the boss, Tsuna has to give hand-made chocolate but it can only be to ONE person! Hopefuls must fight their way to the top to earn it - may the best man win. All27, main pairing - you'll find out!
1. Chapter 1

Tsuna hated Reborn.

Last night, the Sawada household was abuzz with activity (read: explosions, screaming, gunshots, glass breaking etc.) as Nana served everyone dinner. I-Pin picked a fight with Lambo because he stole her share of stir-fried beef (the cannibal...) while soft-spoken Fuuta tried in vain to calm them down. Bianchi blushingly spoon fed Reborn from her own plate. The minuscule hitman accepted each spoonful of food graciously, firing his gun twice in quick succession at one point of the meal when another of Lambo's pink grenades missed I-Pin and almost hit his person. One shot disarmed the bomb while another struck the one Lambo held, poised to throw. It promptly exploded in his face. As smoke wafted from the soot blackened figure of the Afro-headed cow, tears formed his eyes. Unable to 'tolerate' Reborn's abuse he shot himself with the infamous Ten-Year Bazooka, causing his seventeen-year-old self to appear. Face transforming with rage, Bianchi - whose spoon had transformed into... A poisonous food that no one could recognise - leapt over the table and swiftly dispatched the disoriented teenage-version of Lambo. Yup, it was just another ordinary day at the Vongola Decimo's home.

That was, until Reborn instigated something that would be later come to be known as the event that nearly caused the apocalypse.

"Dame-Tsuna."

Breaking out of his internal 'Why me?' rant, Tsuna's head snapped up to look at his home tutor. "E-ehh? What is it, Reborn?"

Reborn fixed him with a look that Tsuna immediately recognised as the 'I'm-up-to-no-good-and-I'm-gonna-make-you-do something-completely-humiliating' look. This wasn't good.

"Valentine's Day is two days away."

Tsuna's forehead furrowed lightly at this statement. He couldn't see where this was going. "Yeah, it's this Tuesday, right?"

Reborn's smirk grew. "Right. And this year, we are going to celebrate it the Vongola way." Naturally, the announcement was met with a whole range of reactions, namely-

"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII?"

"Wow! Is there going to be another contest? I better get my ranking book ready!"

"Kahahaha! Lambo-san will have all the chocolate!"

"-some Chinese gibberish that nobody understood-"

"Oh, don't worry, Reborn my love. My chocolate for you will be so full of love that no poison can ever remain within!"

"Ara? How exciting! What's your special way of celebrating Valentine's Day, Reborn-kun?"

Reborn turned to an ever-smiling Nana and answered "The Vongola Valentine's Day is a day where the member of the Vongola Famiglia are given a chance to show their appreciation of one another and thank each other for their hard work and for the years they have worked side by side. This applies, in particular, to the Boss. He or she must display their love and widely accepting nature of the sky to their subordinates - it shows that they care for the Famiglia. But since it was quite impossible to expect the Boss to show individual care for every single one of his underlings, it was decided that the Vongola Boss would give chocolate only to his Guardians as they are the ones the boss owes the most thanks to for serving the boss so closely and for their constant protection."

Tsuna blanched. "R-Reborn! D-don't making up stuff like that! This is not funny!"

Reborn gave the sixteen-year-old a deadpan stare. "What I am saying is true."

"But- " Tsuna began, but never finished. Reborn, with such lightning quickness that he was almost invisible, delivered Tsuna a turning kick aimed for the head. Dropping his chopsticks, the boss-in-training reacted with equal speed and leapt backward, successfully dodging the kick but falling over his chair instead.

"Itai-tai-tai-tai!" Tsuna gave a shrill yelp of pain. Reborn smiled. His student had improved much since they had first met - the old Tsuna could never have dodged Reborn's kicks. Nevertheless he still had a long way to go to joining the ranks of the Vongola Famiglia bosses.

"Dame-Tsuna. Don't interrupt people when they are talking." Leaving his student to disentangle himself from the chair, Reborn straightened up and continued as if nothing had happened.

"But since this is the mafia, a plain old run-of-the-mill Valentine's celebration would be too boring. So it was also decided that the Guardians would compete for the right to receive handmade chocolate from the boss."

"WHAAAT?"

"You heard me, Tsuna."

"B-b-but- !"

"The boss must show his appreciation for his subjects by celebrating Valentine's Day. Failure to do so will disappoint those who didn't get any chocolate and is a sign that the boss underappreciates the work his subjects put in for him. Such a boss is a failure and has no right to be a boss."

Tsuna couldn't believe this was happening. "I have to give chocolate to one of my Guardians? And it has to be handmade chocolate too? But I don't want to! It's weird! Only girls give out chocolate on Valentine's Day! Besides, I can't cook!"

"GAHAHAHAHA! Lambo will eat all the chocolate!" Lambo yelled. I-Pin began chasing him around the table for being too loud. Fuuta desperately tried to restore order. All three of them were ignored.

"It is an ancient Vongola tradition passed down since Primo's time. Those who break the tradition will not be forgiven and will be killed - even if that person is the boss."

Tsuna slumped in defeat. "N-no way... "

"As for cooking, I'm sure Maman will help you. Right, Maman?"

Nana looked terrifyingly enthusiastic at the idea. "Oh, of course, of course! It would be so fun to make chocolate with Tsu-kun! Ne, Tsu-kun, remember how you used to help me bake cakes when you were little? You were so cute in that apron with butter all over your fingers! Oh, and the walls too. Ara, it's such a pity you stopped being my little kitchen help... "

Tsuna stared at his mother, face burning with embarrassment. "K-kaa-san! I told not to tell anyone about that! B-besides, guys don't normally help their mothers cook in the kitchen!"

Nana laughed good-naturedly at her son's antics. "Ara ara Tsu-kun, you mustn't think that way. Let's go shopping to buy the ingredients tomorrow, okay? Bianchi-chan wants to go too so we'll wait for you until you're back from school and then go. How does that sound, Tsu-kun?"

Groaning in despair, Tsuna laid his head down on the table. Resignation seemed to radiate from every pore of his being. With Tsuna down for the count, Reborn went in for the finishing blowl.

"But since we missed celebrating the past two years' Valentine's Day, we will make up for it this year by making it extra special." Reborn's grin widened still, his eyes attained a strange, rather evil glint. "This year instead of just the Guardians... " Here, Reborn paused for effect before continuing, "This year, EVERYONE will be able to compete for Tsuna's hand made chocolates!"

"NO! ALL THE CHOCOLATES ARE LAMBO-SAN'S!"

"-more Chinese gibberish but everyone present swore they heard the word 'chocolate' in there somewhere-"

"Ooooh... Does that mean I have a chance to get Tsuna-nii's chocolate too?"

"Ara! My Tsu-kun is so popular!"

Bianchi didn't say anything. She was gazing at Reborn with that lovelorn look in her eyes.

"EHHH? Reborn! Don't go making decisions like that by yourself!" Tsuna protested. "A-and! And I don't think anyone would want chocolate from me, anyway. I mean, who does? Well, maybe Gokudera-kun - but my point is that this whole thing is pointless!"

The infant hitman tutor smiled at his endearingly naive protégé. "Go tomorrow and get the ingredients for chocolate with Maman and Bianchi. They will teach you but you only have one night to make them so don't screw up, Dame-Tsuna." With dinner finished, Reborn hopped off the table before making his way upstairs to Tsuna's room.

Tsuna groaned again and planted his face on the table's wooden surface. Nana giggled, patting Tsuna's spiky brown hair which had grown longer in the past two years. Bianchi rose to help Nana with the dishes while the kids ran to fetch some board games to play with. Upstairs, Reborn smirked as he polished his gun. It would be interesting to see just how Tsuna reacted if he learned that Reborn had already informed all potential 'contestants' of the traditional Vongola Valentine's Day event.

Elsewhere, in various places...

"J-Jyuudaime! As your right hand man I, Gokudera Hayato, will not fail you!"

"Oya oya, this certainly looks interesting ne, my darling Chrome? We'll certainly be looking forward to tomorrow..."  
>"Yes, Mukuro-sama."<p>

"Haha! Is this another of Tsuna and the baby's mafia games? Sounds like fun!"  
>"What's that you got there, Yamamoto?"<br>"Ah, nothing! Hey senpai, listen; I won't be coming for practice tomorrow because I've got something else going on, okay?"

"... What on earth is that herbivore thinking?"

"EXTREME! If I win, I'll make Sawada join the EXTREME Boxing Club!"

"Kuhahaha! With this fool proof plan, the great Lambo-san will get chocolate!"  
>"Aw, c'mon Lambo! It's your turn! Hurry up and roll the dice!"<br>"-Chinese speech accompanied by vigorous nodding-"

"Hmph. It's probably trash chocolate, looking at the kind of trash that's making it. But whatever, it's still chocolate. OI! TRASH! We're going to Japan so get ready!"

"Heh. Looks like my little brother isn't so little anymore, huh? Romario! Prepare for us to go to Japan tomorrow!"

"Oh! Look, look! Shou-chan! Come and see this!"  
>"Oh, this? I also received one."<br>"Ehhh? So I will be competing against Shou-chan too for Tsunayoshi-kun's chocolates?"  
>"Do what you want. I plan to abstain from this tomfoolery."<br>"Awww… But Shou-cha- "  
>"No."<p>

"If I can get my hands on Vongola's handmade chocolate, maybe I would be able to convince him to come over so I can conduct a few experiments… "

"Tsuna-kun… How dangerous… "

"Hahi? No way is Haru going to let this chance slip by!"  
>"Oh my! It looks like another of Reborn-kun or Lambo-kun's games again. But they're always so fun!"<br>"Mm! Kyouko-chan, let's work hard tomorrow to get Tsuna-kun's chocolate!"  
>"Uh-huh!"<p>

In his bathroom, Tsuna sneezed while brushing his teeth. Toothpaste-foam flew from his mouth and splattered against the mirror. Still fighting the sudden and mysterious bout of sneezing, Tsuna cursed as he fumbled for some tissue to clean up the mess on the bathroom mirror. Starting tomorrow however, a frothy mirror would be the least of Tsuna's worries.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hi guys!

So, this wasn't the 1827 crack fic I promised (it's still on the way though) but I just had to do something for Valentine's Day! I had just finished my previous fic for 1827 Month and had this HUGE relief thinking 'Ahhh... I can rest for a few days now then get to work on the other one.' Then on Sunday, I realised it - 'Oh God damn! It's Valentine's Day this Tuesday! -cue scratching walls with fingernails in despair-

I initially intended to do a short, fluffy 1827 piece. Somehow, one idea led to another and now I have this multi-chapter, crack-ish, Valentine's related All27 baby on my hands. Why do I love killing myself like this? :D

About I-Pin's speech; I understand she speaks basic Japanese in the anime, but manga's I-Pin just yammers away in Chinese (except when her adult version shows up). I hope no one got offended at those parts. Actually, I'm a Chinese too. Except I'm what my local slang labels as a 'banana' (yellow on the outside, white on the inside - you'll understand why in a minute). That's because bananas can't speak Chinese - usually only English, even though we are of Chinese origin. So there you go, I'm a banana and proud of it. 8]

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I'll update with the next chapter as soon as it's ready!

P.S.: Chocolate is one of the best things the world has to offer.

P.S.S.: Yes, the fic title was inspired from the game Diner Dash! xD

P.S.S.S.: Can anyone guess who were the people Reborn invited to join in on the Vongola Valentine (this event is purely fictional... at time of publishing) festivities? I would say most of them are glaringly obvious but I dare say one may require some thinking while another is way too vague... Go on and guess away, peeps!


	2. Chapter 2

"Ne, Tsu-kun! Which do you think is better? White chocolate or dark chocolate?"

Tsuna sighed in exasperation. "Jeez, mom! I don't care already! Just pick one. Anything. It doesn't matter."

Nana placed her hands on her hips and fixed her son with a reproachful look; one of the rare times she did so. "Tsu-kun! Giving chocolates is a very important part of Valentine's Day! It only happens once a year, after all. Because of that, great care must be taken to ensure that the chocolate you make is made from good quality ingredients so that the recipient can enjoy them properly. And then of course, they'll also feel your love and care for them through the chocolate that you made just for them - oh, isn't that romantic?" Tsuna was a little freaked out at how his mom steadily became so sparkly-eyed that her whole being seemed to radiate sparkles. Then again, he should already be used to these things.

"But mom! We've been in here for two HOURS!"

This was also true. They were in a supermarket which had dedicated its sweets section to selling Valentine's-related goodies. His giggly mother had been excitably dragging him from aisle to aisle as if he were a rag doll. She even hauled him over once to have a look at some imported carrots. What carrots had to do with chocolate, Tsuna had not a clue.

"Oi, brat. You complaining?"

And if course, there was Bianchi with them too. Tsuna gulped audibly.

"N-no! O-of course not, Bianchi-san!"

This elicited a smile from the poisons master. "Good. Valentine's chocolate is not meant to be tainted with such negative emotions; it must be filled with pure and unconditional love for the other person. And, as Maman said, that love will be so potent that it will destroy every other emotion and your love will definitely reach that person, even with just a single bite if the chocolate you made with your own hands."

'But your chocolate is the most potent of them all!' thought Tsuna fearfully. 'Besides, what kind of advice is this?'

Seeking to subtly change the subject (his mother had dashed off to look at decorative sugar roses), Tsuna eyed the basketful of goods in Bianchi's hand. "A-ah, have you got all your shopping, Bianchi-san?"

Her eyes also fell to her basket. "Yes. This should make the perfect chocolate for Reborn." Her eyes took on a dreamlike quality as she spoke and Tsuna mentally smacked his forehead. What was with women and Valentine's Day, anyway?

"I'm also going to be teaching Kyoko and Haru a new recipe for chocolate lava cake, so I've got a little extra. But Haru already had plans for today so we can only try it tomorrow."

And that was Tsuna's cue to avoid his house for the whole of Tuesday. Imagine the Tenth Vongola Boss - victor of the Ring Conflict against the elite Varia, trumping the future Byakuran and preventing the destruction of the planet, defeating and then saving the Shimon Family on top of triumphing in a battle against Daemon Spade, the first Mist Guardian of the Vongola - to finally die because of poisoned chocolate. Reborn would never let him hear the end of it, even in the afterlife.

"So, who are your chocolates for, anyway?"

"Ehh?" Tsuna replied brilliantly, roused from his reverie.

Bianchi sighed. "I know Reborn said that it was a competition among other people to get your chocolate, but there must be SOMEBODY who you want specifically to get your chocolate. Right?"

Tsuna went so red that it would have made strawberries cry. "Bi-Bianchi-san! I d-don't really- "

"Is it Kyoko? She didn't receive a formal invitation but Reborn did say 'anyone'... "

And Tsuna, being foolish and naively honest and Dame as always, went redder still, "Er, n-n-no... It's not Kyoko-cha- I mean, I d-don't... anymore - that is, I - Wait, Reborn actually sent out real invitations?"

"Don't change the subject and answer the question." said Bianchi warningly, now thoroughly interested. 'So it's not Kyoko anymore?'

"Erm, n-not... " Tsuna ducked his head, face burning with embarrassment.

"Come on Tsuna, you know I'm not a tattler."

Eyes still downcast, the teenager cursed his loose tongue. Damn it, damn it, damn it! He just had to open his big mouth. Trust him, Dame-Tsuna, to be living proof of Murphy's law.

After a short pause, Tsuna raised his head a little to peer up at Bianchi thoughtfully. But then again, Bianchi was a good confidante - despite what she did, she respected the secrets of others. He should know. As far as he was aware, she had yet to repeat to anyone about his mother's stash of his baby photos, featuring his two-year-old self all dolled up in frilly dresses and even make-up; courtesy of Nana. Sure, it had taken a lot of begging and a little bribery, but the much famed Poison Scorpion had kept it a secret. He knew no one else knew because not even Reborn seemed aware of their existence - or Tsuna would probably have been blackmailed by now.

Oh, why not?

Tsuna cleared his throat, "I- "

KA-BANG!

"EHIIIII?" squealed Tsuna, ducking behind the gift wrapping counter to avoid the sudden explosion that shook the ground. He was aware that Bianchi had mirrored his action, her dusky pink hair barely escaping from getting singed at it whipped out of range behind the countertop. Alarmed, he looked to Bianchi for a clue as to what was going on. The hitwoman was still as a statue, employing all of her senses to identify thepotential threat. Then, his eyes widened in horror. "Kaa-san!" he called out wildly, forgetting about the danger of the situation as he stumbled out of the cover of the booth and into the thick of the dust clouds. "Kaa-san! Where are you?"

"Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding; she didn't sound hurt. In fact, neither did anyone else - he could the groaning and shuffling of the other shoppers and their silhouettes as they got to their feet. Nobody was lying lifeless on the ground and nobody was screaming in pain - they were all sa-

"Lambo-kun?" That was his mother's voice. Tsuna paused.

"GAHAHAHAHA! Lambo-San will steal all the candy!" declared an all-too-familiar bratty voice from out of the gloom and clouds of dust and plaster. Tsuna, exasperated, slapped a hand to his forehead.

Dear God, could this get any worse?

He shouldn't have asked.

"HYAAAH!" came a screech that had a distinct Chinese twang and the shrillness of a child.

"UGWAAA!" was Lambo's pained response as an audible crack was heard. "I-PIN! That hurt! Ouch- Hey! Give that ba- "

BANG!

The blast of a bazooka and an explosion of pink-coloured gas added to the confusion. Tsuna was pretty sure he knew just WHICH bazooka. He gulped.

"My, my. Looks like my you ger self did it again. And I was just about ready to have my lunch, too."

"E-eh? Oh no! Where am I this time? I'm already late to deliver Kawahira-san the ramen! I better hurry and- "

The smog was finally beginning to clear and Tsuna could finally make out the forms of the fifteen year old Lambo and I-Pin.

"Oh? Young Vongola? How- "

"LAMBO! RUN, QUICK!"

"Mm? What is it- "

"Romeo..." came a deathly silent voice full of murderous intent. Tsuna - slowly, nervously - turned around to look at Bianchi. He didn't know how, but she was now wielding two plates of poisoned food and glaring at Lambo in an incredibly menacing fashion. Tsuna could feel chills going down his spine and the blood draining from his face at the demonic sight.

"Bianchi, no- !"

"DIE!" the Italian woman cried as he she bounded over the gift wrapping station and aimed a platter of unknown, purple substance at his face. No one - Lambo in particular - cared that they what it originally was; all they knew was that it was poisoned and it was deadly. And that was really all you needed to know. And this was all that the Thunder Guardian had in mind as he dodged the poisoned food, narrowly avoiding getting his skull and brains dissolved into unrecogniseable mulch; much like the concrete wall behind him was now.

Howling in fear, Lambo's older self fled from the supermarket with the enraged Bianchi hot on his heels. Tsuna was left with a frantic teenage I-Pin, his oblivious mother and lots of stares.

As he tried to calm the panicking Chinese girl, Tsuna mentally wept.

'Why me?'

Tsuna was still weeping in the evening.

"-make sure to keep the heat even and then you just stir until it's all melted. See, Tsu-kun? It's really easy! Now you give it a try!"

"O-okay..." Tsuna consented reluctantly, stepping up to the stove where a large pot sat containing bubbling hot water and another smaller pot that held cooking chocolate that was just beginning to melt. Tsuna stared at the solid-molten-gooey brown substance in the pot with an impending sense of doom - how did one go about making chocolate truffles out of this muck? Sighing dejectedly, Tsuna picked up the spatula and stuck it into the chocolate, trying to imitate his mother's demonstration. It wasn't that he didn't like chocolate - he loved it, who didn't? But cooking never really was his forte.

"It's burning."

"HIIIIEEE!" screamed Tsuna, nearly upsetting the pots when Bianchi suddenly appeared at his shoulder. "Bi-Bianchi!"

She only stared at him, expression unchanging. She had on a plain pink apron and her own pot of chocolate was steadily simmering beside her - except it was emitting some kind of sickly purple fumes. Tsuna gulped at the sight. She didn't seem to notice. "It's burning. Your chocolate."

Tsuna stared back at her uncomprehendingly. "E-eh?" Then the smell hit his nose. "EEEEHHHH?" His eyes snapped back to the pot which he SHOULD have been minding, but hadn't. The chocolate had changed from a silky, molten texture to a hardened, clumpy one.

Before he could do anything else and potentially cause further damage, Nana's hands entered his line of vision and took the pot off the stove. She smiled at her son good-naturedly. "It's okay Tsu-kun, it was only your first try after all."

"Kaa-san..."

"Enough dawdling, Tsuna. Here's a new one; try again." said Bianchi, setting another pot of unmelted chocolate in front of him.

"E-EHHH? But, guys! Isn't it clear that I can't cook? Do I really ha- " Sudden pain exploded at the side of his head, causing him to topple over from the force of Reborn's infamous flying kick.

"Dame-Tsuna. A real boss never gives up, no matter how difficult his task."

"Reborn!" exclaimed Bianchi, bending to scoop up the Arcobaleno into her arms in delight. Tsuna merely groaned from his place on the ground.

"Reborn-kun!" exclaimed Nana. You know you shouldn't be here! You'd ruin our surprise!" she chastised Reborn; probably one the few who could do so without fearing getting a bullet to the head.

Reborn, still being coddled by Bianchi, flashed Nana his winning, chibi smile. "It's okay, Maman. I just came in to give something to Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna, still on the ground, looked up at his tutor. "Huh?" he managed brilliantly before being hit in the face with a bunch of fabric. "WHUUU?" he yelled, voice muffled by the mysterious article. Whipping it off his face, he stared at the offending object. Large brown eyes widened as the atrocity was identified. Leaping to his feet, he held the ABOMINATION at arms-length as if it were contaminated. "R-Reborn! What is this?"

In his hands was - an apron. Not just any apron, but a white apron hemmed with pastel pink frills and large white bows at the shoulder straps and the back. Most prominent of all, the front of the apron was adorned with a picture of a single, large strawberry.

Overall, it looked like something that belonged on Hinaichigo from Rozen Maiden.

"It's an apron, Dame-Tsuna."

"I-I know that!"

"Then put it on. What are you waiting for?"

"But- !"

The cocking of a gun cut off all protests and swiftly ended the discussion.

After (being forced into) putting it on, his mother proclaiming he was too adorable and squeezing him in a hug so tight it hurt to breathe, Tsuna went back to the kitch- no wait, he's already in the kitchen. I meant to say 'stove'. No, really. I did. Don't look at me like that.

Later, Tsuna despaired as he was on his sixth pot of chocolate. Wasn't he ever going to get this right? Not only had he burnt it but he had also accidentally poured half a jar of sugar into it, somehow gotten some of Bianchi's own sinisterly glowing chocolate into his own and even knocked over the whole pot and narrowly avoided severely burning himself from the boiling water and molten chocolate. As it was a sin to waste so much good chocolate, Nana finally rescued him by abandoning her own project to supervise his every move and give him instruction where necessary. When the chocolate was finally done, she helped add in the cream and Tsuna was finally given a merciful break while they were set aside to cool. They still had yet to make the coating for the truffles but Tsuna preferred not to think of that yet as he slumped in his seat.

Until the doorbell rang.

"Tsu-kun! My hands are full. Would you get the door, please?" said Nana as she was readying the ingredients to make the truffle coating.

"Okay, okay..." said Tsuna grumpily, picking himself up and walking out to the hall. He made sure to rid himself of the ridiculous apron before he made it to the door - if anyone saw him in it, he'd just die standing.

He was not prepared for what lay on the other side of his front door when he opened it.

"B-Byakuran-san? Irie-san!"

"Good evening, Tsunayoshi-kun!" greeted the cheerful, white-haired man who was decked out in an alarmingly normal T-shirt (which Tsuna, he realised upon closer inspection, recognised it as belonging to Irie Shouichi) and tight black jeans. "It's so exciting to be in your house again! Right, Shou-chan?" A disgruntled Shouichi appeared from behind the excitable albino, with flyaway red hair and glasses askew, wearing an apologetic expression. "I apologise for Byakuran-san's behavior, Tsunayoshi-kun. But he just suddenly said that he really wanted to see you and- "

"I wanted to see you everyday, Tsunayoshi! But Shou-chan wouldn't let me! You're so mean Shou-chan!"

"W-what? Byakuran-san, you're- "

"And then you said you would tie me to the bed and punish me if I disobeyed, remember~? You're not JEALOUS, are you?"

"B-Byakuran-san! Don't go making up th-"

"Hahaha! Everyone sure looks lively today!"

Tsuna craned his neck to look over Byakuran's shoulder at the familiar voice. His face broke out into a wide grin as he caught sight of the newcomers. "Dino-san! Romario-san!"

"Yo, Tsuna!" The Cavallone had on his winning grin as he walked to join Byakuran and Shouichi at Tsuna's door step. The ever-present Romario, like a shadow at his boss' side, returned Tsuna's greeting. "Your house feels pretty crowded today, huh?" the Cavollone boss commented lightly giving a pointed look at Byakuran which was returned. For a bare second, Tsuna thought he saw sparks traveling between the two from their eyes, then dismissed the thought with a shake of his head - he was probably just imagining things. He really needed an aspirin.

"Haha! If it isn't Byakuran-san! And Irie-san! Where's the rest of your gang? Got lost, didn't they? Not to worry - although Namimori town's layout is pretty simple, it's understandable that people like them would get themselves lost." said Dino with such a pleasant smile that even Tsuna was surprised. Dino must really like Byakuran. He was being so nice to him. The young boss-to-be smiled, obliviously happy that they were getting along so well.

Byakuran's left eyebrow twitched a little at the subtle insult to his Funeral Wreaths but he replied smilingly, "Why, hello Cavallone! Or should I call you Bronco, you being the 'wild' fighter you are? And I was not worried; Bluebell and Daisy had just wanted to eat some ice cream so Kikyou and Zakuro agreed to take them for some. I decided to come and visit Tsunayoshi-kun in case he missed me too much, so we split up. And Shou-chan is here-"

"For damage control." muttered Shouichi.

"-to keep me company." Byakuran finished as if he had not heard him.

"Ah, how very thoughtful of you, Byakuran-san." commented Dino, still smiling winningly. "But since I am here, Tsuna has not really much need of your company. So really, thank you for the trouble but everything is fine please feel free to leave anytime. After all, it's been a long time since I myself shared some time with my precious Ts- er, I mean, with my precious little brother and it's important for brothers to remain in contact so that heir ties don't fade, right Tsuna?"

Tsuna's eyes lit up "Of course, Dino-sa-!"

"Oh! But I haven't seen Tsunayoshi-kun in such a long while too!" exclaimed Byakuran dramatically as he faked tearing up with emotion. "I was hoping Tsunayoshi-kun would be so kind as to let me spend the night in his house so we can have the chance to catch up."

Dino's smile faltered ever so slightly as the corners of his lips twitched. Shouichi smacked his forehead with a sigh. Tsuna said, "E-Eh?"

Byakuran's face suddenly appeared before him, their noses inches apart. The older man was half-leaning over Tsuna by supporting himself on the doorframe. Tsuna could see right into Byakuran's deep violet eyes that seemed to sparkle like amethysts in the gloom of the night. He could feel marshmallow-scented breath on his face as Byakuran exhaled softly. It smelled nice. But Byakuran was close - way, way too close. But Tsuna couldn't move. It seemed as if his whole body was paralyzed and all he could do was stand in his doorway and stare up at the boss of Millefiore with surprised, brown eyes and a fiery blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Tsunayoshi-kun," crooned Byakuran with a dangerous twinkle in his eye. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Tsuna blinked. "Erm, y-yeah?"

"And friends usually have sleepovers together, don't they?"

"Erm, y-yeah. I guess they do that..."

"Then won't you invite me to your house for tonight, Tsunayoshi-kun? Please?"

It was really difficult to concentrate with Byakuran's face so close to his own. Not to mention doing it while he was flashing that megawatt smile. Tsuna found that he could not really think clearly. "I- "

"Now now, hold up, Byakuran-san. Why do you have to stay at Tsuna's house? I'm sure Sawada Nana already has her hands full with I-Pin, Lambo, Fuuta, Bianchi and Reborn as well as Tsuna to take care of so I really don't think you should trouble her any further. Besides, I think the Millefiore are well enough that you can afford a night's stay at a hotel. Or perhaps you have been spending the past year living as freeloaders? I guess that must be fun... Since only people like you can have fun in such weird ways." Dino interrupted. Romario and Shouichi nervously noted that Dino's hand seemed to be twitching toward the whip at his side and that his smile had become frighteningly sweet. Tsuna was still clueless to the silent war being waged. This could turn ugly very fast.

"Kufufu... Oya, oya, isn't it way past your bedtimes? Children shouldn't be out in the streets at night, naughty, naughty."

"M-Mukuro? You're here too?"

Scratch that. This was heading for disaster.

Byakuran and Dino broke eye contact to face the unwelcome newcomer. "My, my, if it isn't Rokudo Mukuro." Byakuran exclaimed into the night, greeting the illusionist as if they were old buddies who had known one another all their lives. "I'm so glad to see you finally out of the Vendicare. You seem much better - you have gained a little more weight to your bones, at least. Nevertheless, perhaps it is best if you were to refrain from any... strenuous activity for a while."

Mukuro responded with equal enthusiasm. "It is good to see you as well, Millifiore. But I am hurt - am I really that out of shape? Ever since your defeat, I was given a monthly allowance by the Vongola headquarters in Italy for my undying support for Tsunayoshi-kun. Now that we have money for proper food and we have new living quarters with a kitchen that can actually cook, my cute Chrome has proven herself an excellent chef. I find it hard to hold back." At this point, Mukuro directed his gaze at Tsuna who was still standing at the doorway and approached him, turning his back on Byakuran. "I must thank you, Tsunayoshi-kun. Without you, what would have happened to Ken, Chikusa and Chrome? I am heavily indebted to you. So please, allow me to repay you. If there is anything you want, all you need to do is ask and I shall give it to you. Even my soul or my body- "

"EHIII-! N-no! I-It's okay, Mukuro! Y-you don't really need t-to do that! B-Besides, I'm just glad that Chrome is happy- "

"Ah, so it was only for Chrome? But Tsunayoshi-kun, don't you care about me too? Haven't I been a good Guardian to you? A good friend? Am I not worthy?" Tears were gathering in his eyes and he looked down dejectedly at the ground between him and Tsuna, marine blue hair partially shadowing his face. Mukuro made a great show of a heaving sob. Everyone knew that Tsuna was a sucker for tears.

"P-please don't cry, Mukuro-san! I didn't mean-"

"Then why did you specifically mention that you're glad that only Chrome is happy?"

"I-I never said it like that! I'm glad if she's happy because she's my friend and I like her. I'd be glad if you were happy too, Muku-"

"Then... Since you like Chrome, do you like me too?"

"Of co-"

Dino and Byakuran, having been unceremoniously ignored for the whole of the exchange between Sky and Mist, suddenly exploded into a string of verbal chaos before Tsuna could complete his sentence.

"Oi! That's cheating, you two-faced snake!"

"Dear, dear... That wasn't very fair of you, Rokudo-san. Tricking Tsunayoshi-kun like that."

Tsuna tilted his head sideways in confusion. A deadly aura was beginning to settle among them. Why had Byakuran and Dino called Mukuro a cheater? Mukuro had only been talking to him, he hadn't done anything wrong - yet. So why was Dino pulling out his whip- no, it wasn't the whip- Enzio? Byakuran had a smile that was way too sweet on his face for anyone to be remotely comfortable and - were his eyes playing tricks but was that Mukuro's right eye beginning to cycle between the Six Paths? Tsuna felt a sense of doom set in.

They're not going to start fighting here, are they? Not in front of my house! He had to do something, he had to speak up - he would not tolerate this infighting any longer!

Tsuna steeled himself and took a deep breath-

"What are herbivores doing out in the middle of the night, blocking the streets?"

Tsuna and Dino started at the new voice - the former nearly jumping out of his skin - while Byakuran and Mukuro were not surprised or if the were, showed no signs of it. The infamous prefect stood with a deceptive calm, a slight night breeze causing his black jacket to billow gently. The iconic red armband flapped in the wind along with the sleeve.

"H-HIIII-! H-H-H-Hi-Hibari-san!"

"Oya oya, if it isn't the infamous Hibari Kyouya come to crash our party..."

"N-Naa, Kyouya! Nice night, isn't it?" Dino attempted a winning smile as he hastily hid the tortoise behind his back, which didn't seem to have changed Kyouya's murderous disposition, rather the opposite. The killing intent of the atmosphere felt like it had increased tenfold.

"Hmph. Prepare to be bitten to death, herbivores." there was a flash of light gleaming off of metal and Hibari's iconic tonfa made their appearance.

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped. It's been a while since I've played so much anyway." said Byakuran, his grin never leaving his face. "Shou-chan, you'd better leave - it's going to get dangerous."

"U-understood!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, Mukuro's trident appeared in his gloved hand. The illusionist twirled it once before slashing it down to point offendingly at Hibari. "Oya, can't have you disrupting our fun now, can we? A little pest like you, we'd crush you in fifteen seconds."

"N-Now now, who said anything about a 'we'? Who said anything about crushing? We really shouldn't be taking this so seriously- oops!"

Dino had been waving his arms about in an attempt to placate the hostiles but had completely forgotten about the tortoise in his hand. As a result, Enzio slipped from his grip and went sailing through the air-

"ENZIOOO!" Dino panicked, running after the air-borne animal with his hands outstretched to catch it before it hit the ground - or worse, a water-logged drain. Despite the fact that this event was completely unrelated to them, added on by the fact that Dino and his tortoise were traveling AWAY from them, the remaining trio, Byakuran, Mukuro and Hibari, randomly took it as their cue to begin the fight and lunged for one another.

With a clash of steel on steel and a shower of sparks, tonfa and trident collided. Hibari spared a look (glare) back at Tsuna - who was still standing at he door - and fixed him with a glower that could melt stone. "Get INSIDE, herbivore! How dare you disrupt the peace of Namimori by being out so late at night for no specific reason!" A vicious kick was aimed at Byakuran - which missed as the older male literally danced teasingly out of the way.

"H-H-HIIII!" was all Tsuna could say, rapidly retreating to the safety of his house and slamming the door in the face of the turmoil. He could already hear crashing sounds. Tsuna winced. The neighbours were not going to be happy.

"N-No way... Why is everyone acting so crazy? I mean, they already act crazy normally. But this...!"

"Useless Tsuna. Get back into the kitchen."

"Rebo- UFF!" Tsuna managed, being hit in the face with an apron. A pink and white strawberry print apron.

"Reborn! Those guys out there are-"

"Didn't you hear me, Useless Tsuna?" the cocking of a gun.

"R-Right away!" Tsuna yelled, running towards the kitchen as he threw on the God-forsaken apron.

'Why me?'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yes, I am well aware what month it is. Yes, I am well aware of the month the first chapter was posted. Yes, I am well aware that I am horribly, (almost?) unforgivably late.

Here is a machine gun, katana and blunt spork. Please take your pick and punish me accordingly for this heinous crime I have committed.

I'm really sorry for being so late to update! I know you guys have heard the same old story countless times from countless authors but I'm going to say it anyway - I got caught up in the frightening realm known as Reality. In Reality, I learned that I needed to get 4 projects done in a single month and each required a rather upsetting amount of research and analytical thought as well as mild sleep deprivation to complete. On top of that, my final exams for my first year degree are coming in August. The first week of August. And I still don't know -bleep- about my syllabus. I am so screwed. Reality is a scary place indeed.

Anyway, I managed to finish this chapter - at last! I kind of rushed it toward the end because I didn't want to make you guys wait much longer. Unfortunately, the last quarter of it or so has not been proofread so it probably becomes a little weird at some parts and I apologise for that. I'll try and find time to go over it as soon as humanly possible given my schedule - or would you prefer I get my ass in gear for the next chapter instead? Again, since my final exams are coming I have no gurantee as to when I can get out the third chapter but I give you my word that it _will_ come out! I'll do it with my Dying Will! 8D

From here on out, text will be irrelevant to this fiction and even KHR in general. Prepare for Hakuouki fangirl-rant ahead or please flee if uninterested in my fangirlism. :D

In other news, my current obsession right now is Hakuouki. For those who are unfamiliar with it, it is a visual novel otome game series set in Japan during the end of the shogun era. A girl named Chizuru (the protagonist) goes to Kyoto in search for her missing father. There, she encounters and is nearly killed by human-like monsters -coughvampirescough- but is rescued by members of the Shinsengumi, a group of ronin (masterless samurai). They're about to kill her because by seeing the monsters, she was witness to one of their organisation's dark secrets but it is revealed that the Shinsengumi had been coincidentally tasked to find her father as well. So she is spared and instead allowed to stay with them and assist them in their effort to find her father.

Of course, being an otome game and seeing as the Shinsengumi are all men, you get to take your pick of one out of six possible bachelors (who are all rather pretty boys, if you know what I mean ;D) to end up in a relationship with (one of whom must be unlocked). Who you ultimately end up with (or don't, if you get the normal or bad endings) depends on the choices you make in the game which will also alter the plot. And the plot - whew! It's a whole other thing. I think I learned more about history from playing this game than I did in five years of History classes back in secondary school. xD I find it really cool that the characters in game (beside Chizuru) are based on real, actual personalities in history. Even the events in-game were events that actual, really occurred! And the game is still engaging! Who said history was boring? :D Well, obviously there are elements totally unrelated to real history (vampires, demons etc.) but it's still fairly educational.

Right now, only one of the four Hakuouki games is available in English (the one I played) and it is only for the PSP. If you have a PSP and don't mind visual novel games, I highly recommend it! The English name is 'Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom'. Word of warning though, can be a tearjerker. Especially in Okita's route _even though I got the good ending._ My favourites are Okita and Heisuke. Anyone else here played it? Who are _your_ favourites? :D

For those who don't have a gaming console, don't fret! There's still the anime - two seasons of it. A prequel third season is coming later this year, as well as a movie (!). The franchise has a really big following in Japan, that's why it's getting so many media releases. Which means more money leaving my wallet (I already blew over RM100 to get the complete four volumes of one of the manga adaptions). Of course, neither the manga nor the anime can match up to the game (especially art-wise since the game art and CGs are ridiculously pleasing to the eye) but they're not too bad.

Okay, I better stop now before I get carried away. :D

I hope you will continue to support me to the very end!

P.S.: You guys do know that this means I;ll be writing Hakuouki fanfiction in the near future, right? xD Unfortunately, the only category for Hakuouki is in the Anime/Manga category (it's not in the Game category)... Is there a way to submit a request/petition for a new title to be submitted to a category? Or is it something totally out of the users' hands?


	3. Chapter 3

Tsuna was despairing silently as he tied the laces of his shoes, sitting at the genkan of his house. He worked on tying the knots on his left shoe before moving on to the right, keeping his movements as slow as possible. However, he could not delay the inevitable and he knew this. With a heavy sigh that held with it the woes of the world, the Vongola Decimo rose to his feet and picked up his school bag. Slinging it over one shoulder, he bent down to also pick up a small, silver paper bag with a pattern of stars embossed on the shiny exterior. It was no heavier than a can of peach tea but to Tsuna it weighed as much as a block of lead in his hand.

Tsuna gulped, recalling his conversation with Reborn the night before…

"_Tsu-kun, Tsu-kun! Hurry and come, they're ready!"_

_Tsuna bumbled into the kitchen, still clutching the pair of dice from the Monopoly game he had been playing with the three children of the house. "All right, all right, I'm coming. What is it, Mo-" he was abruptly cut off by his mother. Or more accurately, his mother gigglingly stuffing a piece of chocolate truffle into his open mouth._

"_Ne, Tsu-kun! Is it good? Is it good?" asked an excited Nana, eagerly leaning toward her son anticipating his reaction. Desperately trying not to choke, Tsuna stumbled backward and coughed a little. Grumbling under his breath, he rolled it around with his tongue and chewed on the little ball of chocolate. The truffle melted steadily in his mouth, spreading its gooey sweetness all over his taste buds and blessed them with their heavenly taste. The taste was sweet but not overly so, with just the right amount of bitterness to balance it out. Its scent rose up to his nose, tickling his nostrils with the heady aroma of freshly made chocolate. The texture was as smooth as liquid velvet and coated the inside of his mouth, releasing the tantalising flavours that only chocolate could have. As the last of the molten truffle slid down his throat and left his mouth, Tsuna was left with a very pleasant lingering warmth and sweetness on his tongue._

_The look of bliss on her son's face seemed to be an answer enough for Nana. "Yatta! Congratulations Tsu-kun! I knew you could do it! Mama is so proud…" Tsuna was brought back to reality with a snap and looked up at his mother quizzically. "Eh?"_

"_My Tsu-kun managed to make his own chocolate. My Tsu-kun learned how to cook! Oh, Tsu-kun, you're growing up so fast!" Nana sobbed, throwing her arms around her only son in a hug that clearly showed Sawada Nana had more strength in her than she looked. She cried (happily?) into the front of Tsuna's shirt as the boy's face slowly began turning purple. "M-Mom! Can't… Br… eatHHHEee…"_

_Still smiling and wiping a tear from her eye, she released him. "Ah, of course, how silly of me! I've got to go get the wrappings and decorating ribbons – oh, and those cute little boxes we got the other day! You need it ready by tomorrow don't you, Tsu-kun?" And so Nana, sniffing quietly with a handkerchief to her eyes and ever-present smile on her face, exited the room._

'_Mom…' Tsuna looked after her, feeling a warm glow in his chest at being praised by his mother. Though really, Tsuna looked down as he blushed, she didn't really have to react as if he was going off to be married and it would be the last time she would ever get to call him a child-_

"_ITEEEIII!" Tsuna squealed shrilly as a sharp pain made itself known on his head. "Re-Reborn! What was that for?" The Arcobaleno of the Sawada household settled himself on Tsuna's shoulder, arrogant smirk on his baby-like face. "Dame Tsuna. Just because you're off having fun in the name of a Vongola event doesn't mean you can slack off on your training. Why didn't you dodge? I expected better of you." _

_Tsuna resisted the urge to stare incredulously at his tutor, knowing that doing so would only invite calamity 'N-No one else is having fun besides you!' Tsuna shouted in his head. 'A-And! He has the kick of a demon! Doesn't he know his own strength?'_

"_Dame Tsuna. Did you just think that I have a demon's kick?"_

"_E-Eh? Of course not!" 'He can read minds, too?'_

"_Tch. As a mafia boss, especially for the Vongola, you need to learn to be less readable."_

'_So he can't read minds?'_

"_Of course I can't do something as stupid as reading minds, Dame Tsuna. This isn't one of those second-rate manga you like to collect."_

'_HIIII!'_

"_And don't squeal – either out loud or in your head. It's unbecoming for a mafia Don to sound like a girl."_

"_I-I do not sound like a girl!" Tsuna trilled at Reborn which ironically had the tone of a schoolgirl denying she had a crush on someone. Reborn smirked, bounding off Tsuna's shoulder and onto the dining table._

"_Anyway, I came to tell you to work hard on the wrapping for your chocolate. This is the last stage so don't screw it up with your clumsiness." Oh right, the chocolate. The space between Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed in a frown. He had to arrange them in a box and wrap it and put girly ribbons on it and come tomorrow, he'd have to run for his life as-_

_Tsuna paused mid-sulk and his eye opened wide, his mouth slightly agape. Of course! Why didn't he think of it before-_

"_And before you get any ideas, don't think you can get off easily by just handing your chocolate over to the first person you see and consider the Vongola Valentine's Day Event to be over. Actual attempts at evading the participants for as long as possible must be made. Doing otherwise is cheating and as your tutor, I will not condone it."_

_Tsuna flinched away from the tiny hitman, who despite his size held many terrors. 'I forgot! His mindreading-!'_

"_The offense is punishable by death, as is the tradition. So if you try it-"_

"_I won't!"_

_Well, there goes that idea._

"_Good. And also, assuming that I have mindreading skills is also punishable by death."_

"_HIII-!"_

_And that one too._

Tsuna heaved another sigh, hanging his head dejectedly. What had he done to deserve this? He must have done something truly horrible in his past life for Fate to hate him so much as to stick him with Reborn.

Glancing down at the silver paper bag dangling from his left hand he regarded the beautifully wrapped cuboid box inside mournfully. Complete with gleaming silver gift wrap and bound stylishly with an elaborate white lace ribbon, the Valentines chocolate looked like the stuff every boy dreamed of receiving from the girl he liked. Of course, Nana had been the one who had done most of the work with Tsuna just applying the tape where she told him to as she held paper and ribbon in place. "_This way, Tsu-kun will be involved in the whole process enough that Reborn-kun won't be too upset,"_ Nana had said.

If possible, Tsuna's spirits sank lower – even his own mother didn't trust him to get something as simple as wrapping a box right. Then again, he supposed that if he had been left on his own to do it…

Tsuna rapidly shook his head side to side like a dog shaking itself dry, jerking himself back to the situation at hand. 'Now's really not the time to think about that!' he thought, with a slight note of anxiety creeping into his tone. 'I've got to figure out how to get past Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto!'

Tsuna's predicament was very much real. Outside his house, as per usual, his Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi waited for him to come out so they could walk to school together. However, recent events have led today's circumstances to be slightly different than usual and more hazardous than usual. Tsuna could practically feel Gokudera's presence outside his door, growling in possessiveness and drooling all over his gateway as the bomber muttered under his breath about 'Juudaime' and 'chocolates' and 'mine'.

Tsuna raised a hand to his chin as he strategized – Gokudera was easy enough to be swayed by words so he could probably distract him long enough to get away. In that case, the actual problem was Yamamoto; provided the dark-haired baseball player did not regard this as merely a casual game organised by Lambo and the kids. If Yamamoto was serious, getting past fifty meters from his front door could pose a problem unless-

Tsuna thought of it for a moment, turning the idea over in his head. Yes, it should be fine. It _was_ a Vongola event after all so it was related in a way and Reborn had not mentioned any rules prohibiting it, so it should be fine. Besides, this would allow him to get past _both_ Yamamoto and Gokudera, he really had nothing to lose. Smirking slightly now with new confidence, Tsuna reached into his pants pocket…

"Maa maa, Tsuna's running late again isn't he?"

"Don't question Juudaime, Baseball Idiot! If he's late, Juudaime definitely has a very good reason. And, as his right hand man-"

"- you will be willing to wait however long it takes, even if it's a century in the rain and snow. Got it, Gokudera~"

"Sh-shut it! Stop memorising things I say – it's annoying!" the silverette hissed like an angry cat. "And what the hell are _you_ doing in front of Juudaime's house? If you think you even have a chance at the Tenth's Valentine chocolates then you can forget about it, Yamamoto Takeshi!"

Yamamoto's grin grew wider. "Mou Gokudera, that's so cold of you. I want to have my shot too, so please don't be selfish. Besides, I'm here with you every morning too, aren't I?"

A glare. "Why, you-"

"Say, say, Gokudera! How about you and I form a team? If one of us catches Tsuna, we'll share the chocolate between the two of us. So that means if I catch him then I'll share half with Gokudera. But if Gokudera catches him-"

"I-Idiot! This isn't called a competition for nothing, you ignorant bas- "

Gokudera was abruptly cut off mid-sentence by a resounding bang that echoed across the neighbourhood as Tsuna's entrance door burst open and a streak of orange shot forth, passing the two guardians like a rogue bullet and leaving them in the clouds of dust kicked up in its wake and dishevelled hair from the wind of its passing.

The two boys blinked in surprise. Once. Twice. Yamamoto coughed. "Just now, wasn't that…?" Gokudera slowly turned his head as if it were on rusty cogs and gears, trying to peer through the swirling dust motes. "Juudaime?"

Tsuna sped through the streets of Namimori. Normally warm brown eyes morphed into a fiery orange, the colour of the flames that blazed like phoenix wings from each of his hands. A third flame burned regally upon his forehead, like a gleaming halo. His usually soft features were set into an expression of fierce determination. Tsuna's heart was racing in his chest just as breathtakingly fast as the speed he was going at now. He had hardly – if ever – entered Hyper Dying Will mode for reasons other than to fight or to train and to do so now felt exhilarating, freeing, like a falcon cutting through the wind. The adrenaline rushed through his veins, urging him to go faster. He did so.

Hcould sense his Guardians were already after him, thanks to his Hyper Intuition. Though with this speed, Tsuna thought confidently, he could outrun them easily.

"JUUDAIMEEEEE!" yelled Gokudera's distant voice from far behind him. But that distant voice was getting louder and it was accompanied by… a muted roaring? Tsuna chanced a glance over his shoulder and immediately wished he hadn't.

"JUUDAIME!" Gokudera shouted again a wild expression on his face, this time a scant twenty meters away from Tsuna. What made the scene so absurd, maybe even comical (if Tsuna had not been trying to run _away_) was the fact that Gokudera was riding what looked like a bright red, car-sized booster rocket, Yamamoto clinging onto the back for dear life and risking getting his legs barbecued by the rocket's flametrails and _laughing._ They were steadily gaining on him – fifteen meters – ten meters – five –

"HIIIIIIEEEEE!" Tsuna half-shrieked, half-squealed at the oncoming missile and put on a greater burst of speed, fleeing in terror.

"TSUNAAA!"

"JUUDAIME!"

Paying no heed to their calls, Tsuna raced through the maze that was the streets of Namimori. Gokudera and Yamamoto were never far behind, but the rocket was steadily losing out to the power and speed of Tsuna's Hyper Mode and the calls of his two Guardians were getting further and further away. Despite this, Tsuna continued to blaze forward frantically with all the determination and resolve of an Olympic sprinter on the hundred meter track. He maneuvered himself through the narrow streets, twisted and turned around bends and flew over garbage cans and frightened strays until he at last reached the entrance of Namimori Middle School.

Landing lightly on his feet, he allowed the orange flames at his hands and forehead to extinguish and his eyes to fade to their normal brown. Hurriedly, he checked the little silver bag and made sure that the product of his sweat and (quite literally) blood was safe. Then, dismayed that the school grounds were empty which meant that he was late yet again, Tsuna dashed past the gates–

Only to collide with someone who had just stepped out from behind it. Someone who happened to be the bane of any Namimori student who broke any school rules.

"There is no excuse for being late to school five times in a row, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Prepare to be bitten to death."

"HIIIIEEE!"

Out of the frying pan and into the fire you go, Tsuna!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **My back is aching, my stomach is bloated and my textbooks are lying neglected in front of me, just begging to be read and studied. But I was in a 'hey-screw-it-I-feel-like-finishing-those-unfinished-fanfics-today' so here we are! :3

Before I say anything else, I just want to thank everyone who left me a review! Thank you so much! They make me feel loved and fired up to write more. I just feel like I can't disappoint you guys by delaying the chapter too much so would hurry it up and write faster. xD So once again, thank you!

Now about this chapter; the ending was again a bit rushed. Actually, my intended ending point was much later in the plot but as the story unravelled itself, I realised that to really stop where I wanted to stop we'd end up with a twenty-Microsoft Word-paged chapter and that is something I would prefer to avoid. So I ended it as soon as I could. Argh, another rather undramatic ending point for a chapter - I feel like I'm letting you down. D: But not to worry, there will be real action next chapter! :D

Now before I go, I'd just like to announce that I will be posting updates on the status of my on-going fanfictions on my profile from now on. So if you haven't seen a new chapter from me and would like to know what the heck is keeping me sitting on my pretty behind, you can stalk my profile. :D

Over and out!

Kasumi.


	4. Chapter 4

Hibari's lips curled into a feral grin as he approached Tsuna like a lion about to pounce on its quivering prey. He held up his tonfa threateningly as he looked down at Tsuna who had been thrown on the ground from the force of their collision. "So… what punishment will be suitable for a herbivore such as you?"

Tsuna smiled weakly, nervously trying to scoot away from the prefect. "A-Ah, Hibari-san – sorry! I didn't see you and I was in a hurry so – "

"Or perhaps a bribe would be sufficient?" said Hibari as if Tsuna had not spoken. His maniacal grin grew impossibly wider as he spied the delicate silver paper bag Tsuna still had clenched in his hand like it was a lifeline. "I do not usually condone such despicable behaviour but for you, I shall make an exception… Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"B-But Hibari-san! You can't just – !" Tsuna protested weakly as Hibari stooped down and made for the bag.

"Kufufufu… It seems as if the little Vongola does not wish for you to take that, little skylark. Did you know, it's bad manners to take other people's things without permission?"

"M-M-Mu-Mukuro! W-What are you doing here?" Tsuna spluttered, surprised as the illusionist seemed to appear out of nowhere behind Hibari. The prefect scowled and turned around to face Mukuro, clearly displeased. "Rokudo Mukuro. I do not remember allowing you to enter Namimorichuu territory. Only students and teachers may step beyond that gate and all others require special permission. You are an intruder here." Hibari raised his tonfa. "I also will not tolerate any harassing of Namimori students." He dropped into a fighting stance "For breaking school rules, prepare to be bitten to death." He charged.

Mukuro let out a derisive snort as he prepared his trident. "Silly little skylark. An event organised by the esteemed Vongola Famiglia supercedes any mere school rule." Metal rang against metal as the tonfa met the trident in a mighty clash of wills. The sound resonated throughout the deserted school grounds – everyone had either left for class or was too scared to remain outside while their disciplinary head was in such a bad mood. "And I am not harassing any students. I only came here to take Tsunayoshi-kun's chocolate and I'm taking it whether anybody likes it or not."

Tsuna gaped at his Mist Guardian who continued to grapple with his Cloud Guardian. 'B-But Mukuro… you just said it was bad manners to take other people's things without their permission, didn't you?!' But all the same, he felt that he should at least make an attempt at stopping their fight.

"H-Hibari-san, Mukuro, pl-please stop fighting… "

"Be careful, little skylark. This is my cute Chrome's body after all. I would be really upset if anything… untoward happened to it." Mukuro teased darkly when a swipe from a tonfa left a graze on the illusionist's cheekbone. Hibari growled threateningly in response. "Then hurry up and fight me in your real body, then maybe you might get me to take you seriously."

Mukuro's eyebrow twitched involuntarily. "Kufufu… The little skylark seems pretty lively today. Shall we cut to the chase, then?" a thick mist began to manifest, starting from their feet and curling upward to obscure the fighters from view. Panicking now, not wanting to get caught in another of Mukuro's illusions, Tsuna stumbled to his feet and reached forward. "ST-"

"JUUDAIMEEEEE!" Gokudera's voice could be heard yelling his nickname for Tsuna just as a streak of red-hot flames accompanied with bright sparks, thick, streams of smoke and a high pitched fizzing sound flashed past the school gates and ploughed right into Mukuro and Hibari. The momentum enabled it to carry them both with it as it continued bolting forward and in seconds, blasted into the front of the main school building with a thunderous boom and a fantastic explosion which sent debris and bits of brick flying everywhere. Belatedly, Tsuna realised with horror that it was the rocket that Gokudera and Yamamoto had been riding on earlier. The fact that four of his Guardians had been involved in an explosion as big as that one and there had yet to be any signs of life from the resulting cloud of dust was a bad sign.

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna yelled frantically as he tripped over his feet in his haste to get to them and see if they were okay. "Hibari-san! Mukuro!" he called desperately as he reached the crash site, eyes darting everywhere in search of something – anything. "Yamamoto!"

"H-Hey, Tsu- ugh, Tsuna…"

"Yamamoto?!" Tsuna cried out as he followed the voice behind a particularly gigantic slab of concrete to find his Rain Guardian sitting on the ground and clutching his left arm where blood flowed from between his fingers, clothes covered with dust and shrapnel and skin littered with angry, bleeding red scratches.

"Oh no, Yamamoto! Are you all right? Yamamoto!" Tsuna queried worriedly as he dropped heavily onto his knees next to the taller boy. His brown eyes were wide with worry as Yamamoto grinned back at him weakly. "I-It's fine Tsuna, I'll… I'll be all right."

But already, Yamamoto's eyes were beginning to close and his voice was weakening. His body's muscles were giving way as the baseball player slumped further down onto the dust-covered ground. His breaths were coming ragged and shallow. Tsuna's eyes widened further in fear. He grabbed Yamamoto's free hand and squeezed it with all his might, as if doing so would wake him up.

"No! Yamamoto, don't die! Don't die! Just hang on, I'll go get someone-"

"No… no need… "

"What are you talking about, Yamamoto?! I need to go find someone to help you-"

"Just stay with me please, Tsuna?"

"But-"

"Please?"

"… A-all right." Tsuna gave in reluctantly. "But please promise me you won't die, Yamamoto…"

The dark-haired boy cracked an eye open to look at Tsuna and his lips twitched into a semblance of a smile. "Thanks, Tsuna."

There were a few moments of silence before Yamamoto suddenly rasped, "Tsuna, I haven't got much time… before I go, I want to tell you something…"

Alarm shot through Tsuna as he registered the words and he sat bolt upright and resumed wringing the other boy's hand. "No! Yamamoto! You promised-"

"Please, just… just listen to me… Okay, Tsuna?"

"Yama-"

"Tsuna, please."

As always, Tsuna never could say no. He nodded and clenched his free hand into a fist to stop it from shaking so much.

"Tsuna…I want you to know…"

Tsuna had never listened so hard in his entire life. He leaned forward, intent on catching the words Yamamoto deemed so important that he had to say them before he died. He was not about to let the last words of his Rain Guardian to go to waste.

"I want you to know… that…"

So focused was he on listening to Yamamoto's speech, that what happened next took him by such surprise he let loose a girlish scream. Yamamoto's eyes snapped open, full of mirth and the hand Tsuna had been crushing the life out of twisted and took hold of Tsuna's elbow. With a clever twist and a turning motion, Tsuna found himself flung onto his back with Yamamoto on top of him, very much alive and his familiar laughing smile on his face at full power.

"… that I'll be taking your chocolates, Tsuna." He finished cheerily.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Yamamoto?!" Tsuna stuttered incredulously. "B-b-but y-you-!"

"Haha! Not bad, huh? Maybe I should consider a career in acting – or I would if I didn't already have baseball!" exclaimed the taller boy exuberantly. Continuing to smile obliviously, he pinned Tsuna's arms down to prevent any struggling as he reached to pry the gleaming silver paper bag from Tsuna's hands. "I'll be taking this then~!"

Before Tsuna could even react, a shock of silver hair burst forth from the pile of rubble with a deep-throated, Spartan-like yell. The motion rather reminded him of the Disney movie _Mulan_ when the surviving Huns had exploded out from the snow after being buried by an avalanche as if it was nothing. Gokudera spun around wildly, brandishing several sticks of already lit and hissing dynamite in both his hands.

"Yakyuu Baka! How dare you deceive Juudaime in such a disgraceful manner! As his right-hand man, I will ensure that any disrespect towards Juudaime is rectified!"

Ignoring Tsuna's gasps of horror at the live dynamites, Yamamoto laughed. "That's pretty cool, Gokudera! But watch out, those thing s are dangerous! They might explode."

Gokudera's face turned redder in rage – if that was even possible. Tsuna thought he could almost see steam hissing out from both ears of his Storm Guardian. "Y-You! You know damn well I can kick your ass with these!"

"Maa maa, Gokudera! Let's not be so- "

"Just shut up and get ready, Yakyuu Baka!" Gokudera yelled, pulling back his dynamite loaded hand in preparation to throw.

"Haha- oops?"

"HIIIIIEEEE!"

"EXTREEEEEEEEEEEEEEME!"

The trio looked upward at the sound of the new voice to see Sasagawa Ryohei leaning out of the window sill of the top floor. "GOKUDERA! WHAT YOU DID TO THE SCHOOL BUILDING WAS EXTREME!"

The Storm Guardian growled, glaring up at his fellow Guardian. "OI! DON'T GO BLAMING ME STRAIGHT AWAY, TURF-HEAD!" he shouted back with equal volume but more hostility. Ryohei didn't seem to have taken the hint.

"HIBARI-SAN IS NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT THAT TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei hollered to his friends down below. A note of panic made itself known in Tsuna's mind; Hibari and Mukuro had yet to resurface since the blast.

"Hibari-san! Mukuro!" he resumed his desperate calling as he left Yamamoto (who was really okay) and hastily approached the pile of rubble. They were in there somewhere and he had to get them out! Unfortunately, he had forgotten about something very important…

"You can't do this alone, Juudaime! I will help you!"

Tsuna looked up with a weak smile to thank Gokudera but the words he had intended to say changed halfway and turned into a Tsuna-scream. "GOKUDERA-KUN! THE BOMBS!"

"Huh?" Gokudera said cluelessly as he looked to his hands. Still very much full of dynamite. And only a centimetre of rapidly burning wicks left to a great explosion.

"GAH! DAMN DAMN DAMN!" Gokudera cursed, as he panicked and uselessly juggled the dynamite sticks in his hands as he fumbled. Tsuna was in point blank range, frozen to the spot and too horrified to move. Yamamoto was too far away to be of any help. The wicks were burning out fast – too fast.

And Ryohei still wasn't successfully taking any hints.

"MISSING PEOPLE, YOU SAY?! I, SASAGAWA RYOHEI, PRESIDENT OF THE BOXING CLUB, WILL AID YOU IN YOUR SEARCH TO THE EXTREME!" and with that declaration, Sasagawa Ryohei heroically leapt out of the window on the top floor of a school building with only a pile of hard concrete slabs to cushion his fall at the bottom.

Tsuna could only watch in horror as his Sun Guardian was quickly falling to his apparent doom and the dynamites were millimetres away from taking out everyone in the vicinity. Dropping everything, Tsuna fell down on his haunches and covered his head with his arms – at this point, all he could do was hope for the best, he thought. The dynamites' wicks burned out just as Ryohei's body made contact with the first concrete slab.

The explosion was deafeningly epic, blasting apart the pile of rubble into even smaller chunks and shrapnel and further widening the hole on the wall – almost destroying one entire side of the main building. Several bodies were thrown back from the force of the blast and slammed into the ground metres away from where they had been. All was silent for a while as the smoke steadily cleared to reveal the rather extensive damage done to the school grounds. It seemed as if no one had survived the explosion.

But then again, it always was wrong to get one's hopes up.

"THAT FIRECRACKER WAS EXTREME!" Ryohei broke the dead silence with his bellows – even though there really was no more need to shout since he was now at ground level along with everyone else; if they had survived. Despite falling several dozens of feet from the air and landing almost directly on top of the blast site, the boy only seemed to have suffered minimal scratches and bruises from the accident. And he still looked game for another round.

Gokudera staggered as he dragged himself up from a grassy area of the grounds, clinging onto a tree bark for support. "No… Juudaime! Ugh… where is…"

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto called as he struggled to get up. "Tsuna!"

Tsuna was still in the same position on the ground, arms over his head and eyes squeezed shut. He had heard the blast and had felt the wind of debris flying past and ruffling his spiky hair but for some reason, he had felt no pain nor had he been thrown back like the others. Instead, he felt something warm but firm encircling him, protecting him. Whatever it was gripped him tighter, like a lover's long-awaited embrace. Tsuna, sensing that danger had already passed, allowed his curiosity to win over and cracked open one eye.

The only thing he could see at first was an army camouflage pattern a mere inch away from his face. Tsuna stared at it dazedly for a while until he realised it was moving – steadily rising and falling rhythmically, just like breathing- wait a minute.

Fully opening his eyes, Tsuna slowly allowed his gaze to travel upward from Mukuro's chest, to his pale neck to his attractively angular face with mismatched eyes and pineapple-styled navy blue hair.

"Oya, Tsunayoshi-kun." smiled the illusionist. "Getting very comfortable here, aren't you?"

Blushing furiously, Tsuna just realised exactly how close their bodies were – even closer than when Yamamoto had trapped him against the ground earlier. Mukuro was hunched protectively over his smaller body, arms encircling him and clutching his trident behind Tsuna's back. With Tsuna looking upwards, their faces were so close they could feel each other's breaths fanning over their skin. Trying to ward off his blush and look for a distraction – seeing as he wouldn't be able to escape his Mist Guardian's hold any time soon – he saw a giant slab of rock that seemed to have erupted out of the ground crack right in half and crumble to the ground, charred black with soot and gun powder. Tsuna stared at its remains. "Mukuro-"

"I summoned an illusion to protect us from the blast." Mukuro explained in a slightly more serious tone this time. "Are you hurt anywhere, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"N-no, I don't think so…" replied Tsuna, moving all his limbs experimentally. Thanks to the illusion-rock shield, both him and Mukuro seemed to have escaped unscathed.

"That's good. Well then," Tsuna felt Mukuro hug him even closer, making their position even more intimate and Tsuna's blush to flare even redder. "won't you repay me for saving your life, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna squirmed in his grip embarrassedly, turning his face to the side in an attempt to hide his face's resemblance to a ripe tomato. "T-Thank you, Mukuro. B-but can we discuss this l-later? We're in public here!"

Mukuro smirked, licking his lips like a cat that was about to enjoy its meal. "Oh? I hardly find that a problem."

"But I do."

Hibari limped towards the pair, appearing a little worse for wear but not in terrible condition. His right leg was bleeding and leaving drops of red as he limped and blood oozed out of a shallow cut on his cheek. The rest of his skin was littered with scratches and forming bruises and his shirt was slightly torn. But the still very menacing look in his eyes and the iron-grip on the pair of tonfa gave Tsuna a sense of relief. "Hibari-san, you're all right!"

The prefect scoffed. "Of course I'm all right. Who do you think you're talking to?" He then directed his gaze at the Mist Guardian, who still had yet to let go of Tsuna, glaring at him ferociously. "Gokudera will pay in blood for the damage to the school but first," he raised his tonfa in challenge. "I will not tolerate the sexual harassment of any student in this school. Prepare to be bitten to death."

Mukuro smiled at the skylark but something snapped in his eyes. "Kufufu… Quite the pest aren't you, Hibari Kyouya?" He finally released his hold on the Vongola boss, lightly pushing him on the small of his back to the safety of the trees. Keeping his eyes focused on the prefect, Mukuro slowly raised to his feet with his trident at the ready. "Very well then. If you wish, we shall continue."

Without a word or warning, Hibair leapt forward and their fight resumed once more.

Tsuna watched from behind the tree fretfully. His two strongest Guardians were fighting one another. His other Guardians were on the other side of the fight where it would be difficult to reach them without getting clocked on the head with a metal tonfa or trapped in a pillar of illusory fire so it seemed as of he had no choice but to stay where he was for the time being. Looking down at his hands, he realised that he had the presence of mind to pick up the silver bag of chocolates but his school bag was somewhere lost in the fray. He groaned.

'Great. This is just great. This wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for this chocolate.' Tsuna disregarded the fact that his Guardians were already able to cook up just as much trouble on perfectly normal days anyway. 'This is all Reborn' fault. Stupid Reborn. Stupid traditional Vongola events that involve killing you if you do anything wrong. Stupid, stupid, stupid!' Tsuna hit his head repeatedly against the trunk of the tree as his frustration grew.

'I swear, if one more thing goes wrong – just ONE more thing – '

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! We're already here, you ass-wipes! What the f&%k is going on here?!"

Tsuna let loose an uncharacteristic snarl and punched the poor, innocent tree.

That. Was. _IT._

From the branch of a tree, a miniature human figure with a fedora hat watched the proceedings from the shadows. Reborn's mouth curled upwards at the corners in a smirk.

'Hmph. Only a true Vongola Boss can command such love and loyalty from his Famiglia. Well done, Tsuna. But don't let your guard down, things are about to get interesting.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Increased rating to T to accommodate Gokudera's potty mouth. xD**

** All right, I know I updated my profile this morning and said I'd post this up later in the day but it ended a little later than O thought it would be. Erm, It's still twenty five minutes to midnight so it's still technically within the limits! Hm, I wonder if I can get that Ninja Storm one-shot up as well...**

**Boy, am I glad I went through the proofreading process - so many stupid spelling errors and missing words - even forgetting to write Reborn's part at the end! Urgh... This is what writing late at night does to me.**

**Are you guys all right with this chapter? To me it feels like a really big leap from the previous one and feels a but jarring to the pace. Is it too fast? Too slow? Stop thinking dirty thoughts, I wasn't talking about it in that context. ;D**

**A few things I like about this chapter; the part when Mukuro says he doesn't find a problem about PDA with Tsuna in public and Hibari says 'But I do.' I belatedly realised that it somewhat resembled a scene during a traditional Western wedding ceremony and the pastor says, "If anyone has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace." Do they really do that in real life? It's kinda interesting. What if someone actually objects?**

**Oh, and Tsuna's monologue, 'I swear, if one more thing goes wrong – just ONE more thing – ' was actually one of my more recent Facebook status updates. I basically spent my entire month of holidays being sick. First, I had to go for an operation to remove a lump in my underarm. Then I caught a cold (which I suspect was from being left in the operating theatre for too long) which was followed by a sore throat then a runny nose and finally a cough, which is still persisting. A few days ago, the gum of my erupting wisdom tooth was infected and really swollen and I had to see the dentist. This was what I posted on my wall after getting back from the dentist. xD**

**On a final note, I always have trouble on the terms of address different characters use for one another. I know a few, like Gokudera's 'Juudaime', Reborn's 'Dame-Tsuna' and Byakuran's 'Tsunayoshi-kun' but when it comes to most other characters, I just take a guess. If you realised that there were inconsistencies in what various characters called Tsuna by, I apologise and this is the reason why. Help, please?**

**Boy, my ANs are long. You guys don't mind me being my narcissistic self, do you?**


	5. Chapter 5

Hibari and Mukuro paused their fight to inspect the newcomers. Xanxus stood before the wreckage, his poise regal and arrogant as he stared down at everyone. Squalo, ever his shadow, stood by his right as he muttered curses and obscenities about the lack of decency about the place. The rest of the Varia trudged behind them, quiet save for Belphegor's cackles and Lussuria's squeals of excitement. Mukuro lifted a mocking eyebrow at them.

"Oya oya, look what we have here. It seems like some second-rate mice have chosen to grace us with their unfortunate presence."

Hibari wiped a smear of blood from his chin with a sleeve, turning his glare on Xanxus. "Hn. They don't even deserve second-rate status." Both fighters seemed to have forgotten their quarrel, instead facing the Varia with their weapons at the ready.

"VOOOIII! Don't get too cocky, you insolent brats! Boss received an invite for Vongola Event so you better damn well be grateful he even bothered to come to see your ugly mugs!"

"Ushishishi… How presumptuous of you Vongola scum." a wicked smile cracked on Belphegor's face as he twirled a handful of knives round and round in his hand.

"Quiet, trash." Xanxus commanded with deadly quietness. The Varia fell silent at once. Even Bel stopped cackling. "You idiots have wasted enough of my time. Tell me; where is Sawada Tsu- "

"OOOOH! RYOHEI-KUUUN!" cooed Lussuria, interrupting Xanxus. Xanxus turned to give his I'll-reduce-you-to-ashes-glare at his subordinate over his shoulder but the Muay Thai master was already skipping across the ground toward where Ryohei, Yamamoto and Gokudera were recovering from the second blast. The three boys, upon realising the Varia's presence, had varying degrees of reactions.

"LUSSURIA-SAN!" roared Ryohei in greeting (he intended this to be friendly). And apparently to Ryohei, greeting an old friend was never complete without a straight punch to the face. Lussuria went sailing back the way he came, through the air and landed with a sickening crash on the concrete ground, narrowly missing Levi who stepped aside just in time with a string of obscenities. Ryohei did not seem to notice this. "THIS IS EXTREEEEME! ARE WE HAVING ANOTHER EXTREME BATTLE ROYALE?!"

Hibari's eyes narrowed dangerously as the ground beneath Lussuria's twitching body cracked and chipped. "Sasagawa Ryohei. See me in the Disciplinary Committee Room by the end of school hours today."

"SURE THING, HIABRI-SAN!"

Yamamoto's face broke out into a smile as he waved in greeting, then shone as he spied Squalo. "Oh, hey! Hey! Squalo!" Yamamoto grinned, waving his arms about like windmills to get the Varia's Sword Master's attention. "What the burning hell do you want, you brat?!" Squalo spat back, silver hair flying and whipping Xanxus across the face before smacking Levi's as he turned sharply to face the teenage boy. Yamamoto laughed in the face of hostility. "It's good to see you, too!"

Squalo's nostrils flared. "What the bleeding fu- "

"The HELL are you welcoming them for, Yakyuu Baka?!" barked Gokudera as he savagely shook bits of concrete from his hair. "You DO realise they are the enemy here?!"

"Mu. At least the obnoxious one seems to have his head screwed on right." murmured Mammon, perched comfortably on Bel's shoulder. Gokudera heard this.

"You! Why you-! Little _snot! _I'll- "

The crack of a gun cut through the cacophony of yells, effectively silencing everyone. All attention was now on Xanxus who now wielded a slightly smoking pistol, pointed at sky.

"I've heard enough of the nauseating wails of you trash." he cocked the gun, readying it for another shot while withdrawing a second one from its holster with his other hand. "If none of you scum is going to tell me where Sawada Tsunayoshi is…" with a deadly click, he aimed the guns at the Vongola guardians. "… I'll just have to kill you and find out myself."

Mukuro smiled, a sickly sweet smile. It still could not hide his irritation as he turned away from Hibari to face the Varia instead. "Little Skylark, why don't you and I put our little disagreement on hold while we deal with these fools?"

"Tch. Don't order me around, or I'll stab you in the back while you're kept busy." growled Hibari, nevertheless fixing Xanxus with a scowl that could melt rocks.

Levi reached for the weapons strapped to his back.

Belphegor giggled, stringing together wire and blades with expert waves of his hands.

Yamamoto gave them his game face, drawing the katana hidden in his baseball bat holder.

Gokudera, gritted his teeth and snarled as he whipped out twin handfuls of dynamite from… whatever third dimensional pocket he keeps them in.

Mammon began to float, suspended by a ring of Mist flame.

For a moment, all stood still. It felt as if the very air had stopped moving. Even the birds were quiet.

Then without warning, Gokudera had sent the dynamite hurtling through the air toward the Varia. They were somehow already lit. And therefore highly hazardous.

"EAT THIS, ASS- "

His words were cut off by the third deafening explosion that day – but the dynamites were nowhere near their intended targets. Everyone present froze, startled at the premature blast. They waited with bated breath as the resulting smoke began to clear…

… revealing none other than Tsuna. A rather angry Tsuna. With bright orange flames roaring about his arms and blazing furiously upon his forehead. His molten eyes were far from pleased. Despite his flaming hand, the holy silver bag somehow remained unharmed and swung wildly in the gale.

"Enough."

It seemed that one word was enough to crack the very Earth in two in its very malice. Nobody dared say a word. A dull clattering sounded as Gokudera dropped his remaining unlit bombs. Even Bel was heard gulping loudly.

"This ends here." Tsuna glared down at all of them, the spirit of a Vongola Boss suddenly bright in his eyes. "Either one of you wins, or all of you lose. If you're too wimpy to participate, get out of everyone's way."

Lussuria whimpered pitifully from his position on the floor. "Since when did he get so scary?!"

Molten eyes narrowed. "Hurry up and get serious, I'm already sick of all this." And with a flash and burst of flame, Tsuna was suddenly nowhere to be found.

There was about three full seconds of stunned silence before a predictable riot broke out.

"Juudaime! Wait – wait! Wait for me! Where did you gooo- "

"VOOOOIII! What the hell just happened?!"

"You let him slip through your fingers, you worthless trash!"

"But Boss, it wasn't our fault- "

"GOKUDERA-SAN, YOU JUST GAVE ME AN EXTREME PUNCH TO THE HEAD!"

"Gokudera, stop struggling! Ryohei was only trying to help- "

"Boss! Please, oh please don't send us to catch him! It's going to ruin my new haircut and I've only just got it last week- "

"Tch. Noisy." grumbled Hibari as he observed the ensuing chaos.

"Oya oya, I'm more used to the silence myself." Mukuro purred in agreement, raising an eyebrow when Gokudera delivered an impressive right hook to Yamamoto's jaw while he and the boxer attempted to restrain him.

"Muu. Bel, it's best we be off."

The prince gave his partner a side-long glance – though nobody could really know this since his eyes were hidden from view. "Ushishi. What's the rush, Mammon? Boss is still here- "

"Why yes, why don't you tell us where you're off to in such a hurry?" drawled Mukuro. Belphegor whipped around – only to find himself face to face with all three points of a deadly looking trident. He giggled nervously.

"Shishishi… none of your business, I should like to say."

"Not a wise answer." Hibari stepped closer, tonfa poised to strike.

Mammon floated closer as well, fearlessly approaching the Mist and Cloud guardians. "Boss said he would give me an… ah, increment in monetary expenses should I capture Sawada Tsunayoshi for him."

Bel still had the sense to cackle even with a pointed object two inches away from his throat. "Ushishishi… so that's the reason."

Mukuro's eyes narrowed slightly in displeasure, but the smile remained on his face. "Ah, I see. But I believe you are sorely mistaken."

"Mu?"

"If there is a victory to be had today, it will be a victory that will go to Vongola. Not outside trash like the Varia." the illusionist sent a sideways smirk at the prefect of Namimori. "What do you say, little Skylark?"

Hibari spat in response. "I already told you not to order me around!" he snarled as he broke into a sudden charge toward the trapped Bel. At the same time, Mukuro thrust his arm forward with a cruel smirk, driving the points of the trident through Bel's throat. Almost an instant later, metal tonfa made contact with a blonde head with a sharp crack.

"Oh my, just where are you aiming? Ushishishi…" the impaled and limp Bel vanished; an illusion. Hibari and Mukuro whirled around to find him and Mammon several smug metres away. "Ushishishi – catch you later! Or not!" taunted Bel over his shoulder as he and his Arcobaleno partner swiftly made for the ruined building entrance and disappeared from view. The two guardians paused for a moment and exchanged glances, each assessing the other. Then upon some unspoken consent, dived in together after Bel and Mammon with deadly intent and glinting weapons in hand.

Meanwhile, things were not going as smoothly for the others left in the school grounds – turned into a blast zone in merely five minutes flat.

"VOOOIII! JUST LIE DOWN AND DIE ALREADY, YOU IRRITATING INSECTS!"

"Hahaha! You're very lively today, Squalo-san!" laughed Yamamoto as he parried Squalo's sword strike with his own katana, metal meeting metal in a carrying clang.

"Stop laughing, you idiot! Take something seriously for once in your life! We've got to kick their asses then go find Juu – what the? What's the stupid cow doing here?"

True enough, little Lambo had just ambled past the school gates. It was (un)fortunate Hibari was not present at that time, or Lambo might have met his untimely, meaty demise.

"Lambo-san has arrived! The Chocolates for Lambo Event can now begi – AUGH!"

Lambo cut himself off mid-sentence with a pained cry. It was no wonder – Xanxus had just delivered a kick to his head with a very expensive Armani leather shoe. Shined and polished to perfection.

"Stupid trash." Muttered Xancus vehemently as he scowled down at the snivelling lump at his feet.

"Ga… ma… n…" a sniff. A sob. Then full-blown wailing. "LAMBO-SAN HATES YOU! PREPARE TO DIE!" the child then proceed to pull out a pink bazooka from the mysteriously fourth-dimensional pocket that was his afro and scrambled inside it's barrel. The trigger was pulled and the general area filled with pink smoke.

"God damn it," cursed Gokudera as he warded off an attack from Levi. "What does that stupid cow think he's – "

The Vongola's resident bomber was interrupted by a second bazooka shot.

Everyone froze. Not like anyone could see it. The only still moving was Lussuria – still twitching on the concrete. Not like anyone could see that either. The smoke was so thick.

But the smoke was clearing, dissipating as the wind carried it away. The able bodied fighters slowly and carefully turned to the last place they had seen Xanxus and Lambo, as if the slightest of wrong moves would cause a lightning bolt to split the sky and smite them all. Had Xanxus been shot with the bazooka? If he had, then even Squalo doubted he would be able to stop him.

"Hm? What's going on? This does appear to be Tsuna-nii's school…"

Yamamoto, his grip having gone slack with apprehension at the smoke, now let out a full out grin. That voice definitely did not belong to Xanxus.

A final breeze harried away the blinding smoke and there, near the school entrance, stood a twenty five-year old man with short, curly black hair worn in three, thin braids over his shoulders and donning a fur-lined brown cowhide jacket. The twin horns atop his head were unmistakable. Even Gokudera smirked in greeting.

"Heh, welcome to the party, stupid cow."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Everyone may now fire at me with an assault rifle or a sub-machine gun for my utter neglect of this fic. -shot to smithereens-**

**Hi again guys - if you're still reading this. A year after starting this fic and this is only chapter 5. Oh man. I suck. D: I've tried checking the best I can, but since I haven't written for this fic in a while I've lost my feel of it so there might be some inconsistencies. I'm trying to get back into the groove however. xD**

**Don't worry, I will see this fic to the end to the best of my abilities.**

**- Kasumi.**

**P.S.: Twenty five year old Lambo is hot but doesn't get enough love. D:**


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